Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott To Deliver State of the City Address July 25
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WHEELING -- The public is invited to attend this year's State of the City event, which is scheduled to take place at noon July 25 at Wheeling Island Hotel Casino Racetrack.
The upcoming State of the City address will once again be delivered by Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott. This is set to be Elliott's last State of the City address, as the mayor is currently completing his second and final term in office. Elliott's last official day as mayor of the Friendly City will be June 30, 2024.
"That's a very busy week here in the city," Elliott said, noting that several major events will be taking place in Wheeling that same week. "We also have the (Upper Ohio Valley) Italian Festival (at Heritage Port), Greek Fest (Grecian Festival at St. John the Divine Greek Orthodox Church in Center Wheeling) and TBT basketball tournament going on (as WesBanco Arena)."
Each year, the mayor invites the public to the annual gathering to reflect on progress being made in the city and to recognize contributions made by various people and organizations locally.
"If you want to just attend, it's free," Elliott said. "If you want to get lunch, though, you need to reach out to the city clerk and reserve your ticket for lunch. It's $15 for lunch, but that's entirely up to you. If you want to attend for free if you don't want lunch."
Information about this year's State of the City is expected to be posted on the city's official website. Those interested in making reservations for lunch can reach out to City Clerk Jessica Zalenski at 304-234-6401.
In the past, the State of the City address had been held in February. However, COVID-19 forced the mayor to reschedule the event to a date in the summer following the height of the pandemic.
Elliott has since stuck with a summer date for the event, in part to avoid any conflict with municipal election seasons since much of Wheeling's yearly operations align with its fiscal calendar -- with the next four-year mayoral and council terms begin on July 1, 2024.
Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack has served as an ideal venue for the State of the City event, with a large capacity for guests in its showroom near the casino.
During Tuesday's meeting of Wheeling City Council, the mayor issued a reminder about the upcoming State of the City and addressed concerns about smoking, which is permitted in certain gaming areas.
"For folks who are worried about the smoke -- there is smoke in the main casino, but there is not smoke in this area," Elliott said, noting that those who have attended the State of the City address in the past have never had a problem with smoking anywhere around the showroom. "We've had it there for many years, and I've never smelled any smoke at this event. So I hope folks can come."